Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar strongly responded to Irish President Michaerl Higgins who accused Israel of having ”violated the sovereignty of three neighbouring countries, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.”

The verbal exchanges between the two countries follows Israel’s decision to close its embassy in Dublin after Ireland decided to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

 

“Israel no longer has to put up with anti-Semitic countries trying to delegitimize it,” declared Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in a strong response to Irish President Michaerl Higgins who accused Israel of having ”violated the sovereignty of three neighbouring countries, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.”

The virulent verbal exchange between the the Israeli Minister and the Irish President comes in the wake of Israel’s decision on Sunday to close its embassy in Dublin after Ireland announced last week that it will be joining South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ.  Israel’s ambassador,  Dana Erlich, had already been recalled to Jerusalem in May after Dublin became one of three European nations to recognize a “state of Palestine.”

Gideon Saar accused Ireland’s premier of antisemitism. “Ireland’s anti-Semitic Prime Minister Simon Harris said in an interview, ‘Ireland is not anti-Israel but Ireland is absolutely anti the starvation of children.’ Is Israel starving children?” Saar said on 16 December, referring to comments made by the Irish Prime Minister about Dublin’s firm condemnation of killing civilians and using starvation as a method of war.

“There is a difference between criticism and antisemitism based on the delegitimisation and dehumanisation of Israel and double standards towards Israel,” Sa’ar..

Harris later condemned the “deeply regrettable” move in a post on X, saying he rejects the assertion that Dublin is anti-Israel. “I will push back very strongly against any attempt by any country to misrepresent Ireland’s position. Ireland is not anti-Israeli, but Ireland is absolutely anti the starvation of children, is absolutely anti the killing of civilians and is absolutely pro-peace, pro-international law and pro-human rights,” the Taoiseach (or Prime Minister) told reporters.

‘’Israel will not silence Ireland and its criticism of the scale of the war in Gaza,’’ Harris said, adding that his country had been ‘’unequivocal in its support for Israel’s right to defend itself within international humanitarian law.’’ He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the decision to close its embassy as “the diplomacy of distraction”.

One day after, Ireland’s President Michael  Higgins said that Israel’s accusations of antisemitism against the country are a “deep slander.”  “I think it’s very important to express, as president of Ireland, to say that the Irish people are antisemitic is a deep slander. To suggest because one criticizes Prime Minister Netanyahu that one is antisemitic is such a gross defamation and slander,” he declared.

“Originally… I put it down to lack of experience but I saw later that it was part of a pattern to damage Ireland,” he added, asserting that his country “cannot be knocked off its principled support of international law.”
Higgins also condemned Israel’s actions in Syria and Lebanon as a breach of international law and a violation of the countries’ sovereignty. His words came during a ceremony to appoint a Palestinian ambassador.

In a scathing response to President Higgins’ statements, Gideon Saar sharply criticized the Irish position, calling the country anti-Semitic. The Israeli minister strongly denounced the Irish president’s accusations;

He pointed in particular to the situation with Lebanon, recalling Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel since October 8, 2023. “Israel has been attacked from Lebanese territory for over a year without any pretext or provocation,” he said.

With regard to Syria, the Israeli minister referred to the 1974 separation of forces agreement, pointing out that Israel had withdrawn from large areas after the Yom Kippur War. He also categorically refuted allegations concerning Egypt, recalling the complete Israeli withdrawal from Sinai and the dismantling of settlements as part of the peace agreement.

Concluding his statement, Saar drew a historical parallel with World War II, criticizing Ireland’s position of neutrality during the conflict. “Israel no longer has to put up with anti-Semitic countries striving to delegitimize her,” he said.

Ireland has for years criticized Israel and its policies in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, but the rhetoric has escalated since Jerusalem responded to the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered a multi-front war.

The shuttering of the diplomatic mission was announced after the Irish government approved a proposal to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Micheál Martin, Ireland’s deputy premier and minister for defense and foreign affairs, admitted that by seeking to intervene in the case, Dublin was essentially asking the top U.N. court to broaden its interpretation of “genocide” that falls within the framework of the Genocide Convention.

On Oct. 29, Harris called on the European Union to “review its trade relations” with the Jewish state, following what the Irish leader called a “shameful” vote by the Knesset on a law banning the activities in the country of UNRWA, the United Nations aid agency for Palestinians.

Dana Erlich, the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, told a radio in Dublin that Israel was “not breaking diplomatic relations” but was “closing the physical embassy” to relocate resources to places that “want more collaboration with Israel”.

But she also protested against what she described as Ireland’s “extreme vilification and policy against Israel”.

Maurice Cohen, the chairman of Ireland’s Jewish Representative Council, said he was “deeply concerned” by the deterioration of relations between the two countries. He said Ireland’s intervention in the ICJ was “oversimplifying a highly complex and tragic conflict” and was “unfairly isolating Israel” while undermining the definition of genocide.